Fender.



A. H. LUEBKE.

FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.8, 1911.

1,022,372. Patented Apr.2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WWW

UMBIA PLANOORAPM (20.. WASHINGTON n c A. H. LUEBKE.

FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED Plum, 1911.

1 ,O22,372, Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPN C0..WAsmNa'roN, D. c.

UNITED STATES PA ENT orFioE.

ADOLPI-I H. LUEBKE, OF MONTELLO, WISCONSIN.

FENDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AnoLrII H. LUEBKE. a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Montello, in the county of Marquette and State of \Visconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fenders for cars, automobiles and the like, and it has for its object to produce a simple and eflicient fender which when not in use may be retracted to an inoperative position where it will occupy but little room.

A further object of the invention is to construct a fender in such a manner that a person getting in the way of the vehicle with which it is connected and struck thereby will be caught by the fender with little liability of personal injury.

lVith these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the in vention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claim may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved fender in its normally operative position and attached to an automobile. Fig. 2 is a side view of the fender in its retracted position. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device as shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail view, showing the framework of the improved fender detached.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The main frame A of the improved fender composed of side members 1, 1 connected at their front ends by a cross bar 2, said frame being preferably made of a single piece of material bent to the proper shape or configuration. The side members 1, 1 of the frame are slidably supported in hangers or keepers 3, 3 secured upon the sills or side members 4 of the frame of the automobile Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Application filed February 8, 1911.

Patented Apr. 2, 1912.

Serial No. 607,225.

or other vehicle to which the fender is applied. Additional supports for the side members 1 are formed by eyes 5 at the rear ends of coiled springs G which are supported on brackets 5 attached to the front ends of the sills. The side members 1 are formed with loops 7 and 8, respectively, near their front and rear ends, said loops being adapted to engage the eyes 5 of the coiled springs 6 for the purpose of supporting the fender frame in-a retracted or in a projected position, as the case may be.

The front cross bar 2 of the fender frame is connected with the front of the vehicle by means of extension braces B, each of which is composed of two separate rods or members 9 and 10. Each of said rods is provided with an eye 11, 19, encircling the mate thereof and serving to slidably connect the two rods or members. The rod or member 10 is provided with a spring 13 suitably connected therewith. The length of the brace members is so calculated that when said brace members are extended to to the full extent of their capacity, or, in other words, until the eyes 11 and 12 contact with each other, the braces will reach from the front of the vehicle where they are attached to the front of the fender frame, when the latter is projected, as shown in Fig. 1. When the fender frame is retracted, the brace members 9, 10 will slide or telescope together, as will be readily understood.

A basket 14, which may be constructed of woven wire, netting of any kind or other suitable material, is provided at its front end and side edges with seams 15, 16 engaging, respectively, the front cross bar 2 of the fender frame and the braces B, said basket member being made of such shape and dimensions that it will sag sufficiently to form a soft and yielding receptacle. Coarse canvas of the quality known as duck may be advantageously used in the construction of the basket member, but, as above stated, no limitation is made to the kind of material employed. It will, how ever, be obvious that when such material as woven wire is employed, connecting means of any suitable kind will be substituted for the seams herein shown.

Suitably connected with and spaced from the front cross bar 2 of the fender frame .is a buffer bar or guard member 17, which may consist of a rubber tube, between which of the vehicle.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawlngs hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of thls invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. It will be seen that by simply disengaging the loops 8 of the fender frame from the eyes 5 of the spring 6, the fender frame may be slid or moved backward beneath the sills of the vehicle until it is practically retracted, so that it will occupy but very little space in front of the vehicle. When the fender is thus retracted, the extension braces will be collapsed. V\ hen the fender frame is projected, the loops 8 will engage the eyes 5, and the braces will be extended, thus supporting the fender in its normally operative position. If the fender should strike a person or an object, the first blow will be taken up by the guard member 17, after which the fender frame itself will yield rearwardly, the coils of the supporting springs 6 being obviously placed under tension when the fender frame is pushed rearwardly under the impact of a blow. lVhen the person or object topples into the fender basket, the springs 13 of the braces will yield, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

A longitudinally slidable fender frame including side members and a front cross bar, supporting means for the side members of the frame including springs having terminal eyes, means associated with the side members of the frame to engage said eyes to retain the frame against longitudinal movement, a guard member spaced from and connected with the front cross bar of the fender frame, and springs interposed between said guard member and the cross bar.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPH H. LUEBKE.

Witnesses:

FRANK FOSTER, JENNIE CRAWFORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

